CHAPTER 77
Hector paused at the tree line to observe the truck. The beach was quiet except for the rolling of the waves. He didn't see Juan or anyone else. There were no raptors in sight. He looked behind him, and the jungle was still. Stepping onto the sand and into full sunlight Hector felt a definitive vulnerability. He kept his gun poised to shoot as he approached the truck. His barrel swept the beach while he moved with his knees bent low.
In the sand he spotted drag marks that led from the tailgate back toward the tree line. The long grooves were streaked with copious amounts of blood and the occasional fragment of stray entrails. A dozen comps were congregated along the bloody trail, picking and fighting over the sparse scraps.
A shiny object caught Hector's eye. Plucking it out of the sand he knew what it was right away. Juan's Zippo sat in his palm with the lid half open. Snapping it shut, Hector tucked the lighter away in his pocket.
He did a quick walk around the truck. The bed was drenched in so much blood that it still dripped off the end and spattered in the sand. He shook his head and swung the tailgate closed. Hector crossed himself as he moved to the front of the truck. Opening the driver's door he saw how the rear window was shattered and the seat was full of broken glass. He brushed away as much as he could and slid into the pickup.
Hector started the engine but he didn't have a good feeling about any of what was going on. His gut told him he was still being watched. He was wondering why he had been allowed to make it back to the truck. What new tactic were the raptors formulating to bring him down?
On the far side of the ptero-dome he heard a bellow and caught sight of Star Fire circling near the observatory. Snatching a pair of binoculars off the dashboard Hector took a closer look. After moments of scanning the structure he spotted Ms. Murdock and the others climbing one of the access ladders. Then he saw the raptors that pursued them.
Hector put the binoculars back on the dash and rubbed at his scruffy chin. His eyes panned the beach another time. With a grumbling exhalation he put the truck in first gear and began to crawl along the sand. He circled the pickup around and followed its own tire tracks back along the beach and toward the jungle.
There was still no sign of velociraptors as the truck tires rumbled onto the uneven floor of the jungle. Hector eased his foot onto the gas a little more and bounced over roots, rocks, and mud holes at a steady twenty miles per hour. There was a fairly easy path to follow as flattened vegetation matted the truck's original tire tracks.
A moving shape in the rearview mirror captured Hector's attention. Trailing about thirty feet behind the pickup was a lone male velociraptor. The hunter maintained a consistent distance for a time and then inched closer. Hector soon noticed there were others appearing. Along either flank of the truck two more raptors kept a steady pace. None of the predators attacked. Nor did they come close to the vehicle. They maintained their distance and simply followed.
Hector came upon the wrecked jeep and swerved beyond it. From there the path back to the tunnel was a straightaway. He shifted to third gear and put on the gas some more. Around the truck the raptors maneuvered with ease and continued to keep up. The obstacles of the forest gave them no grief as they vaulted over low plants and cut around taller shrubs and tree trunks.
Hector's eyes shot from one velociraptor to the next. They were still holding their distance. Out of the jungle ahead two more hunters appeared. Their attack was fierce. They were already hurling through the air when Hector spotted them. There was nothing he could do to avoid them. The raptors pounced on the hood with crushing force and slammed against the windshield. The already fractured glass crumpled in as sharp fragments sprayed the dashboard. Hector squinted through the crumbling windshield and past the two snarling velociraptors, but it was difficult to see. As the hunters pounded at the window Hector stretched for his gun but he couldn't handle the terrain with just one hand on the wheel. More glass fell over the dash as the raptors knocked away the window and stuck their shrieking snouts through. Hector knew the gun was a poor option at this point, so he did the next thing that came to mind and slammed on the brakes.
The velociraptors went flying off the hood, their talons raking across the paint with a screech as they tumbled away. They rolled through the underbrush, one settling on its back, the other on its side. Neither animal appeared to be overly harmed as they kicked back to their feet and shook the dirt and leaves from their feathers.
Hector curled over the steering wheel, searching for some clue as to what they were going to try next. The truck was surrounded on all sides as it quietly idled. None of the raptors were advancing. They just stared at the pickup.
Hector touched his toe to the gas and began to roll. As the truck tires crunched over dirt and rock at the speed of a turtle the hunting party exchanged glances. Their perimeter around the vehicle expanded slightly as each member backed off like they were dealing with a cornered triceratops ready to charge.
Hector accelerated within first gear, and the raptors in front of him started to part. It was strange to Hector. He felt like he was calling their bluff. As the hunters created a birth wide enough for the pickup to pass through Hector almost allowed himself a stroke of confidence, but it was not to be.
There was a crash at the back of the truck as one of the raptors took a running vault through the window above the tailgate. As the muscly female hunter tumbled into the covered bed of the pickup a male raptor was already following her up the bumper and scaling over the rear door.
It all came together at once for Hector. The raptors were anticipating that he would charge off as soon as they attacked from behind, and they didn't want to be in the way when he did. Hector knew he was probably playing into their game now, but he did exactly what they expected and slammed on the gas.
The female raptor inside the bed tumbled back against the gate while the male slid out of the broken window and caught hold of the bumper. This raptor dragged through the dirt, trying to gain traction with its feet, but as Hector shifted up the gears it became impossible and the dinosaur let go. The male raptor stumbled for a matter of paces before regaining composure and then ran to keep up with the truck. All around, other members of the clan were joining as well.
Hector looked to the rearview mirror, but it wasn't there anymore. It had been knocked off the battered windshield. When he shot a glance into the truck bed he saw saliva strung teeth coming at him. The snapping jaws of the musclebound female came through the open rear of the cab and went for his shoulder. Hector threw a heavy elbow and caught the dinosaur's jaw. He stunned the beast for only a moment. It was rearing to come at him again when the truck ramped over a large root. The raptor's skull jolted against the roof, and it collapsed into the bed. In the same moment Hector bounced in his seat and came down on several slivers of glass from the windshield. He winced as they pierced deep into his rump, and he squeezed the steering wheel to cope with the shooting pains.
The pickup truck jumped again as it charged out of the jungle and into the access tunnel. As Hector plunged into the darkness of the concrete bore the female velociraptor attacked again. Hector grabbed hold of his shotgun this time and clubbed the carnivore in the face as she came through. He only got one blow in before the raptor came in at a different angle and clawed the weapon out of his hand. Hector knew he couldn't drive the truck and fight off the raptor at the same time. It just wasn't working. As the predator lashed its teeth at him again he pounded the breaks and skidded to a halt.
The big female slammed headfirst into the dashboard and slumped into the seat next to Hector. The dinosaur was half in the cab of the truck and half in the bed. Hector dropped another elbow on the raptors skull just to make sure it was out. Around the truck the rest of the clan was gathering once more. He wasted no time in getting the truck going again. Hector raced through the black of the tunnel with a new concern forming. At the other end of the bore was a locked and highly electrified gate that he didn't believe he had the time or means to stop and open. Plowing the fence wasn't an option, and he had little time to think of anything else.